1. Technical Field
This invention relates to brake assemblies and, more particularly, to a combined wagon and associated brake assembly.
2. Prior Art
Any parent knows the joy that their child receives from playing with a toy wagon either by themselves or while being pulled around by another person.
Most children's wagons available at the present time are not equipped with brakes, and consequently the wagons are stopped by children sliding their shoes on the pavement or ground. Children who ride in their wagons on side walks and other concrete surfaces often wear out a pair of shoes, such as sneakers, in about a week. This is due primarily to scuffing and scraping their shoes on the concrete surface.
Stopping a wagon with one's shoes holds further danger and disadvantages apart from wearing out the soles of ones shoes on concrete surfaces. If the wagon is traveling at a high velocity and the child accidentally pushes down on the concrete or ground surface with too much force their foot or feet will stop while the wagon continues to travel forward. This causes their leg to bend backwards in a quick and unnatural way that can result in the child being thrown from the wagon and sustaining painful scrapes to various parts of their body. More serious injuries may include the child spraining their ankle, or even breaking their ankle, leg and/or arm as they are thrown from the wagon. The advantage of employing brakes in children's wagons is thus obvious.
The use of brake assemblies are known in the prior art. More specifically, brake assemblies heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Accordingly, a need remains for a combined wagon and associated brake assembly in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a combined wagon and brake assembly that is easy and convenient to use, adaptable to a variety of children's vehicular toys, and gives parents peace of mind knowing that their children are safe while playing with their wagon. Such brakes make the assembly easy to stop and maneuver, and allows parents to more comfortably transport their child in the wagon, for instance, while shopping. The brakes prevent the wagon from going out of control on an inclined surface and also allows for improved overall speed control. The combined wagon and associated brake assembly is appreciated by children as a riding toy and by adults as a safe and convenient way to transport their child and/or cargo.